To strongly dislike Amol Rajan as a presenter?

[rellies]

He’s now a presenter of Today on Radio 4. I can’t stand him. He doesn’t talk clearly, he mumbles all the time. He often seems ill-prepared for interviews and conducts them in such a casual manner which I suspect is his way of dealing with his nerves/lack of preparation. In TV interviews he slouches in his seat which just looks so unprofessional. Now he’s got the University Challenge gig. Why do people keep hiring him ? I wish he would just go away.

Not especially. My memory has gone to shit thanks to the menopause.

I don't think you can? I mean, I've tried to feel embarrassed and everything, but it's just not happening.

I remember him when he was working on The Wright stuff with Matthew Wright .Always good humoured and clearly ambitious. I hope Storm Huntley who is now on the Jeremy Vine show goes on to have an equally bright future. Prefer her to Jeremy Vine !

You don’t get in to Cambridge by being thick as mince.

Mishal Hussain is my fav too, followed by Martha and Amol.

Course you do. King Charles went there and he's thick as anything.

Rajan only got there after a stint in the foreign office following a bit of family string pulling. Be interesting to know what his actual A Level results were.

Family string pulling, from a family of South Asian immigrants living in South London? Really?

I think Amol is properly bright. I heard him on Newscast the other day showing off quoting huge tracts of Milton and sonnets like a party trick. He also confessed to taking sleeping tablets on the nights before he presents Today because he just can't sleep, and says they contribute to his slightly slurred delivery the next morning

Years ago I heard him do a R4 programme about cricket (about which he's passionate). it was very good, and authentic. And I'm not a cricket fan.

I sound like a fan. I'm not; he still annoys me!

I can't stand him. He's ruined Today on Radio 4 (although Nick Robinson is a close second.)

He makes a 'virtue' of speaking non RP English- can't pronounce (or won't) the T in 'twenny' etc etc.

Seems to think his 'souff Lunnun' accent is attractive and will appeal to the plebs.

Plus, he comes across as arrogant.

And he's ruined University Challenge. He was speaking so fast it was impossible to hear the questions towards the end.

I struggle with my hearing in one ear and find that he speaks quite quickly and, at times, seems to mumble.

I like Nick Robinson, but he's not John Humphreys.

I hate the expression "thick as mince"
Not keen on Amol Rajan and if he needs to take sleeping pills then he needs to get a different job.

John Humphries definitely got beyond his sell by date imo

I like him. He seems much more empathetic and less robotic and prejudiced than most of the other presenters.

I didn't warm to him on UC - I was irritated by the fact that when he offered the correct answer I couldn't make it a word of what he said. I didn't like Paxo's peevishness (e.g. That wasn't even in the same century, he wasn't even born then, Googd God.. that was Louis Armstrong of course, etc) - AR is warmer in that respect.

I also think the set design and that desk/monitor are a styling fail. Ah well we're stuck with him and it for a long time probably. I think they film is it either 2 or 4 episodes a day and record the whole series in a very short period. A friend of mine was in the audience a few years ago and said Paxo was very uncomfortable in his interactions with the audience during filming - seemed not to want to talk or make eye contact. Hopefully the quirky contestants will take the attention away from AR.

A friend of mine was in the audience a few years ago and said Paxo was very uncomfortable in his interactions with the audience during filming - seemed not to want to talk or make eye contact. That might have been in the early stages of his Parkinson's. So sad.

I thought it was a little strange that Rajab was so ubiquitous. Then I looked at his CV and I stopped thinking it was strange!

I really liked him on University Challenge, although they do need to get him a different chair, he looked far too low down.

That's a fair point - this must have been nearly 10 years ago. I doubt think we were aware of his Parkinson's then.

I am a heterosexual woman but could almost consider running off with Mishal Hussein because of her beautiful clear rich tones.

I can't bear her on the radio (Radio 4 Today) as she interrupts and is often arrogant and biased.

I'm not keen on her voice TBH.

She sounds like a posh rich girl whose parents have sent her to elocution lessons to learn how to speak in a clipped tone.

The new UC comes over a very rushed. The questions are spat out, he mumbles too and there is no need to keep saying 'well done' every time someone gets an answer correct. Reading the questions off an autocue/laptop is just awful.

He also looked too 'blingy' for me- all that gold stuff dangling around his hands.

Clive Myrie would have been perfect but I noticed Yogita Limaye and an a big fan of her compassionate face and her excellent enunciation. They're both here if you are not familiar with her.

I would love to speak like her! I hate my voice and accent. It’s never going to happen though ;-)

Gosh - ill-concealed racism and blatant inverted intellectual snobbery in a single thread?

Hilarious!

He was the Editor of The Independent newspaper.

I've seen him in action in their morning conference on many occasions. I can assure you that he is intelligent!